This is a story about a young man who had to grow up in a hurry. Forest Shelburn Nelson was a soldier in World War II, an aerial gunner in a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber aircraft. He fought the war in the sky. This young teenager, who was competing in sports at high school, was now a man shooting down enemy planes. This young man's life tragically ended at the tender age of twenty.

His letters were very romantic, thoughtful, and loving. It's difficult to witness the man, his plans, his hopes, his dreams, to just disappear in such a short time. War's tragic consistent legacy remains that there is little more than a few medals on his chest, letters, or pictures to remember Forest by.

Forest's feelings about World War II; but I am sure he put every ounce of his being into fighting for his beliefs. It makes no difference which war a loved one has fought in, there always someone who knows him or her a "DEDICATED SOLDIER." Whether your loved ones are dead or live, you are not alone! We each have our private wars that we endure.